Teenager Adu works out with D.C. United

FRED GOODALLAP Sports Writer

Published Tuesday, February 10, 2004

click photo to enlarge

Freddy Adu advances the ball during a possession drill at his first practice with DC United of the MSL Monday, Feb. 9, 2004 at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. Several MSL teams are training in Bradenton.

AP Photo BRADENTON -- Freddy Adu sat on a golf cart, fiddling with his cell phone and waiting for the start of his first professional practice.

"You think they would have called me," the 14-year-old soccer phenom joked Monday.

Adu's first official day on the job for D.C. United began with nearly an hour wait for his teammates. It ended with the first pick in last month's MLS draft pulling a water cooler away from the 75-minute workout.

"I'm the new guy. I'm going to do that. If I don't do it, I know I'm going to hear from the guys," Adu said.

"But really, that's just stuff you've got to do. No matter who you are, you don't think you're bigger than anybody else. It's a team thing. You go in, you're a rookie, you do all that stuff. I'm not complaining. Whatever it takes to help the team out, I'll do it."

The 5-foot-8, 140-pound forward walked to the workout at IMG Academies, where he's been living for the past two years while attending school and training with the U.S. under-17 national team.

He waited patiently for the rest of the team to arrive in three large vans after flying into Florida.

Coach Peter Nowak and assistant Tommy Soehn were the first to greet Adu, who signed a six-year contract that will pay him about $500,000 annually, meeting in the middle of the field where Adu was alone, stretching and listening to music.

Practice was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., but was pushed back an hour to give the players an opportunity to settle into condominiums where they will be staying during a two-week stay designed to allow Adu to concentrate on school in the morning and prepare for his pro debut in the afternoons.

Adu, who in the past has trained with D.C. United informally, was anxious to get started after struggling in the morning to stay focused in the classroom.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," he said. "Now it's finally here, and I just wanted to kick it off right. I was stretching the whole time. And I never stretch. But I was thinking, I've got to be ready. I got out there and everything went great."

Adu has been competing with older players much of his life.

He was the smallest player on the field Monday, but looked comfortable during drills. He has been lifting weights four days a week to increase his strength and said his teammates are helping him adjust to a faster, more physical game.

"It's a huge difference," Adu said, adding that he's gained 10 pounds in the last six weeks.

"I'm not getting pushed off the ball as easy as say last year when I was training with these guys. I was able to hold my own. I feel a lot stronger. I have a lot more confidence when I have the ball because I know I'm going to be able to hold them off."